Software CEO Arrested for Storing LA Poll Worker Data on Chinese Servers
The CEO of a small software company that was hired to store Los Angeles election employee payroll and scheduling data has been arrested for improperly storing the information on servers in China.
Konnech CEO Eugene Yu, 51, is expected to be extradited from Michigan this week. He is not accused of selling the information.
“Storage of data outside the United States is a violation of County information security provisions and the strict provisions of the contract between the vendor and the County of Los Angeles,” said LA County Registrar of Voters Dean Logan. “The security and privacy of data and personally identifiable information of election workers is at the core of our mission. My office will fully cooperate with the District Attorney’s office as they conduct their investigation.”
Konnech was awarded a five-year county contract valued at nearly $3 million in 2020. The company was hired to store employee payroll and scheduling data using its PollChief software.
Konnech has become the subject of conspiracy theories among those who believe the 2020 election was stolen. Some Konnech employees have received death threats amid claims that the company is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
A public relations firm that represents Konnech has called Yu’s arrest a “wrongful detention.”
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.
